Oskar Lafontaine top candidate of left-wing party Die Linke,talks to journalists after first exit polls in the Saarland state elections in Saarbruecken, Germany, March 26, 2017. REUTERS/Kai Pfaffenbach

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March 26, 2017

Oskar Lafontaine top candidate of left-wing party Die Linke, arrives after first exit polls in the Saarland...

An election placard showing Lafontaine, top candidate of left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state...

An election placard showing Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections in the Saarland, is pictured in Saarbruecken, Germany March 13, 2017. Picture taken March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

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March 20, 2017

A combination picture with election placards showing Oliver Luksic (top L), top candidate of the liberal...

Election placards for the upcoming state elections in Saarland are pictured in Saarbruecken

A combination picture with election placards showing Oliver Luksic (top L), top candidate of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer (top C), State Minister-President and top candidate of the Christian Democratic Union Party (CDU), Oskar Lafontaine (top R), top candidate of left-wing party Die Linke, the anti-immigration party Alternative for Germany (AfD) (lower L), Anke Rehlinger, top candidate of the Social Democratic Party (SPD), and the Greens (lower R), is pictured in Saarbruecken, Germany March 13, 2017. Pictures taken March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

Election placards showing Luksic (L), top candidate of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), and Lafontaine,...

Election placards showing Oliver Luksic (L), top candidate of the liberal Free Democratic Party (FDP), and Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of left-wing party Die Linke, are pictured in Saarbruecken, Germany March 13, 2017. Picture taken March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

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March 19, 2017

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections...

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections at the German federal state of Saarland attends a Reuters interview in Saarbruecken, Germany March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

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March 19, 2017

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections...

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections at the German federal state of Saarland attends a Reuters interview in Saarbruecken, Germany March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

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March 19, 2017

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections...

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections at the German federal state of Saarland attends a Reuters interview in Saarbruecken, Germany March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

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March 19, 2017

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections...

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections at the German federal state of Saarland attends a Reuters interview in Saarbruecken, Germany March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

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March 19, 2017

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections...

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections at the German federal state of Saarland attends a Reuters interview in Saarbruecken, Germany March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

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March 19, 2017

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections...

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections at the German federal state of Saarland attends a Reuters interview in Saarbruecken, Germany March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

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March 19, 2017

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections...

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections at the German federal state of Saarland looks on prior to a Reuters interview in Saarbruecken, Germany March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

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March 19, 2017

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections...

Oskar Lafontaine, top candidate of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke for the upcoming state elections at the German federal state of Saarland attends a Reuters interview in Saarbruecken, Germany March 13, 2017. REUTERS/Ralph Orlowski

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January 12, 2014

Members of German left-wing party Die Linke Oskar Lafontaine (L) and Sahra Wagenknecht attend a wreath...

Members of German left-wing party Die Linke Lafontaine and Wagenknecht attend a wreath laying ceremony...

Members of German left-wing party Die Linke Oskar Lafontaine (L) and Sahra Wagenknecht attend a wreath laying ceremony at the Monument for the Socialists to commemorate the deaths of German communist leaders Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg in Berlin, January 12, 2014. Liebknecht and Luxemburg were founders of the German Communist Party and leaders of the brief Spartakist uprising in Berlin, after the end of World War One. They were both arrested and murdered on January 15, 1919. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch (GERMANY - Tags: ANNIVERSARY POLITICS)

Members of German left-wing party Die Linke Wagenknecht, Lafontaine, Pau and Gysi atend a wreath laying...

Members of German left-wing party Die Linke, Sahra Wagenknecht (L-R), Oskar Lafontaine, Petrau Pau and Gregor Gysi attend a wreath laying ceremony at the Monument for the Socialists to commemorate the deaths of German communist leaders Karl Liebknecht and Rosa Luxemburg in Berlin, January 12, 2014. Liebknecht and Luxemburg were founders of the German Communist Party and leaders of the brief Spartakist uprising in Berlin, after the end of World War One. They were both arrested and murdered on January 15, 1919. REUTERS/Fabrizio Bensch (GERMANY - Tags: ANNIVERSARY POLITICS)

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June 14, 2013

Oskar Lafontaine of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke attends a party congress in Dresden June 14,...

Lafontaine of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke applauds to party member Wagenknecht after speech during...

Oskar Lafontaine (L) of Germany's left-wing party Die Linke applauds to party member Sahra Wagenknecht after her speech during a party congress in Dresden June 14, 2013. REUTERS/Tobias Schwarz (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS)

Kipping co-leader of left wing Die Linke party talks with veteran party member Lafontaine at federal...

Co-leader of left wing Die Linke party Katja Kipping (R) talks with veteran member Oskar Lafontaine at a federal party congress in in Goettingen, June 3, 2012. REUTERS/Alex Domanski (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS)

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June 02, 2012

Oskar Lafontaine veteran member of left wing Die Linke party holds a speech at a federal party congress...

Gysi former leader of left wing Die Linke party attends with veteran member Lafontaine a federal party...

Former leader of left wing Die Linke party Gregor Gysi (R) attends with veteran member Oskar Lafontaine a federal party congress in in Goettingen, June 2, 2012. REUTERS/Alex Domanski (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS)

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June 02, 2012

Oskar Lafontaine veteran member of left wing Die Linke party holds a speech at a federal party congress...

Gysi former leader of left wing Die Linke party talks with veteran member Lafontaine at a federal party...

Former leader of left wing Die Linke party Gregor Gysi (L) talks with veteran member Oskar Lafontaine at a federal party congress in in Goettingen, June 2, 2012. REUTERS/Alex Domanski (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS)

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June 02, 2012

Oskar Lafontaine, veteran member of left wing Die Linke party holds a speech at a federal party congress...

Member of German left wing party Die Linke Loetsch receives a gift from veteran party memeber Lafontaine...

Member of German left wing party Die Linke Gesine Loetsch (L) receives a gift from veteran party memeber Oskar Lafontaine at a federal party congress in in Goettingen, June 2, 2012. REUTERS/Alex Domanski (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS)

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June 02, 2012

Oskar Lafontaine (L) veteran member of left wing Die Linke party holds a speech next to former leader...

Lafontaine veteran member of left wing Die Linke party holds a speech next to former leader Gysi at a...

Oskar Lafontaine (L) veteran member of left wing Die Linke party holds a speech next to former leader Gregor Gysi at a federal party congress in in Goettingen, June 2, 2012. REUTERS/Alex Domanski (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS)

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June 02, 2012

Oskar Lafontaine (L) veteran member of left wing Die Linke party holds a speech next to former leader...

Lafontaine veteran member of left wing Die Linke party holds a speech next to former leader Gysi at a...

Oskar Lafontaine (L) veteran member of left wing Die Linke party holds a speech next to former leader Gregor Gysi at a federal party congress in in Goettingen, June 2, 2012. REUTERS/Alex Domanski (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS)

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June 02, 2012

Oskar Lafontaine veteran member of left wing Die Linke party holds a speech at a federal party congress...

Co-leader of left wing Die Linke party Ernst talks with veteran party member Lafontaine at federal party...

Co-leader of left wing Die Linke party Klaus Ernst (R) talks with veteran member Oskar Lafontaine at a federal party congress in in Goettingen, June 2, 2012. REUTERS/Alex Domanski (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS)

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March 25, 2012

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer of the Christian Democratic Union party CDU, Heiko Maas of the Social Democratic...

Top candidates of the federal state elections of Saarland during a television interview in Saarbruecken...

Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer of the Christian Democratic Union party CDU, Heiko Maas of the Social Democratic party (SPD) and Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine (L-R) answer reporter questions after exit polls for the federal state elections of Saarland in Saarbruecken March 25, 2012. CDU won the largest share of the vote in the western state of 1 million, polling 34.5 percent, unchanged from the last state election and ahead of their main Social Democrat rivals on 31 percent, according to television exit polls after voting closed at 6 p.m REUTERS/Alex Domanski (GERMANY - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS)

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March 25, 2012

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine waits for the start of a television interview after first exit...

Die Linke's candidate Lafontaine waits for the start of a television interview after first exit polls...

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine waits for the start of a television interview after first exit polls for the federal state elections of Saarland in Saarbruecken March 25, 2012. CDU won the largest share of the vote in the western state of 1 million, polling 34.5 percent, unchanged from the last state election and ahead of their main Social Democrat rivals on 31 percent, according to television exit polls after voting closed at 6 p.m REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay (GERMANY - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS)

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March 25, 2012

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine waits for the start of a television interview after first exit...

Die Linke's candidate Lafontaine waits for the start of a television interview after first exit polls...

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine waits for the start of a television interview after first exit polls for the federal state elections of Saarland in Saarbruecken March 25, 2012. CDU won the largest share of the vote in the western state of 1 million, polling 34.5 percent, unchanged from the last state election and ahead of their main Social Democrat rivals on 31 percent, according to television exit polls after voting closed at 6 p.m REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay (GERMANY - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS)

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March 25, 2012

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine waits for the start of a television interview after first exit...

Die Linke's candidate Lafontaine waits for the start of a television interview after first exit polls...

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine waits for the start of a television interview after first exit polls for the federal state elections of Saarland in Saarbruecken March 25, 2012. CDU won the largest share of the vote in the western state of 1 million, polling 34.5 percent, unchanged from the last state election and ahead of their main Social Democrat rivals on 31 percent, according to television exit polls after voting closed at 6 p.m REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay (GERMANY - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS)

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March 25, 2012

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine pauses after first exit polls for the federal state elections...

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine pauses after first exit polls for the federal state elections...

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine pauses after first exit polls for the federal state elections of Saarland in Saarbruecken March 25, 2012. CDU won the largest share of the vote in the western state of 1 million, polling 34.5 percent, unchanged from the last state election and ahead of their main Social Democrat rivals on 31 percent, according to television exit polls after voting closed at 6 p.m REUTERS/Alex Domanski (GERMANY - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS)

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine and Sahra Wagenknecht arrive after first exit polls for the federal...

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine (L) and Sahra Wagenknecht arrive after first exit polls for the federal state elections of Saarland in Saarbruecken March 25, 2012. CDU won the largest share of the vote in the western state of 1 million, polling 34.5 percent, unchanged from the last state election and ahead of their main Social Democrat rivals on 31 percent, according to television exit polls after voting closed at 6 p.m REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay (GERMANY - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS)

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine and Sahra Wagenknecht arrive after first exit polls for the federal...

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine (L) and Sahra Wagenknecht arrive after first exit polls for the federal state elections of Saarland in Saarbruecken March 25, 2012. CDU won the largest share of the vote in the western state of 1 million, polling 34.5 percent, unchanged from the last state election and ahead of their main Social Democrat rivals on 31 percent, according to television exit polls after voting closed at 6 p.m REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay (GERMANY - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS)

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine and Sahra Wagenknecht arrive after first exit polls for the federal...

Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine (L) and Sahra Wagenknecht arrive after first exit polls for the federal state elections of Saarland in Saarbruecken March 25, 2012. CDU won the largest share of the vote in the western state of 1 million, polling 34.5 percent, unchanged from the last state election and ahead of their main Social Democrat rivals on 31 percent, according to television exit polls after voting closed at 6 p.m REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay (GERMANY - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS)

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March 25, 2012

Heiko Maas of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) runs past an election campaign poster of Die Linke's...

Heiko Maas of SPD runs during his election campaign for the federal state elections of Saarland in Saarlouis...

Heiko Maas of the Social Democratic Party (SPD) runs past an election campaign poster of Die Linke's candidate Oskar Lafontaine at the "Finishing Run", during his election campaign for the federal state elections of Saarland in Saarlouis, near Saarbruecken March 25, 2012. Saarland votes on Sunday in the first of a trio of state elections that could banish Angela Merkel's junior coalition partners from regional parliaments, weakening her centre-right government ahead of next year's federal election. The sign reads: "Big wheeling and dealing - no thanks". REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay (GERMANY - Tags: ELECTIONS POLITICS)

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March 20, 2012

An electoral poster of the leftist party "Die Linke" shows an altered wedding picture with the portraits...

An electoral poster of the leftist party "Die Linke" shows an altered wedding picture with the portraits...

An electoral poster of the leftist party "Die Linke" shows an altered wedding picture with the portraits of Heiko Maas (R) of the Social Democrats (SPD) and Annegret Kramp-Karrenbauer of the Christian Democratic Union party (CDU) in Saarwellingen near Saarbruecken March 20, 2012. Slogan reads in a local dialect "..then we prefer Oskar". Oskar Lafontaine, a former federal state premier of Germany's smallest state Saarland, German Finance minister and Social Democratic party SPD leader in the 1990s, is the top candidate of "Die Linke" in the Sunday March 25, 2012 state elections. The elections are expected to have a big impact to CDU leader and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her conservative-liberal coalition with the liberal Free Democratic party (FDP). REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)

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March 20, 2012

A man walks past electoral posters of (from L-R) Heiko Maas of the Social Democratic party (SPD), Simone...

A man walks past electoral posters of (from L-R) Heiko Maas of the Social Democratic party (SPD), Simone Peter of the Greens and Oskar Lafontaine of the leftist party "Die Linke" in Saarbruecken March 20, 2012. Germany's smallest federal state of the Saarland will hold local elections on Sunday March 25, 2012, which are expected to have a big impact on CDU leader and German Chancellor Angela Merkel and her conservative-liberal coalition with the liberal Free Democratic party (FDP). REUTERS/Wolfgang Rattay (GERMANY - Tags: POLITICS ELECTIONS)